The Adair County Sheriff's deputy that was injured while clearing a dead deer from a snow-covered highway in 2010 was informed four days before Christmas he was being let go after being on paid medical leave for more than nine months.

Former Deputy Jeff Pitts was called Friday afternoon by Adair County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wilson on behalf of the Adair County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Robert Hardwick and informed his services were no longer necessary.

"It was a very stressful Christmas for me," Pitts said.

Pitts, a four-year department deputy, had been on leave since being relieved of duties at the Adair County Jail in early March.

He had been working in the jail for several months in early 2012 when his doctor declined to clear him to carry a service weapon due to the traumatic brain injury the former deputy had sustained in December 2010 after falling 12 feet into a culvert and striking his head while clearing a deer from Highway 6 while on duty.

Since that time and while on paid medical leave, Pitts said he's enrolled in classes and taken part in an internship in a surrounding county's sheriff's office but four days before Christmas, he was floored by what he describes as the abrupt and devastating timing.

"I knew it was inevitable," Pitts said of his firing. "I knew it was coming. I had talked about having two months notice, and they failed to do that."

Pitts said he was not given a specific reason for why he fired or for the timing.

He speculated the action may have been taken before the first of the year so it would not be included on the upcoming budget.

Hardwick declined to comment on the firing, citing privacy laws regarding personnel matters. Both Adair County Commissioners Mark Thompson and Carson Adams declined to comment on the matter.

Pitts said he is currently weighing whether to enroll in additional classes in criminal justice or pursue full-time employment. He cited memory loss and a speech impediment as two of the long-term effects of his injuries.

"I've got to live with this for the rest of my life," he said. "Even though my employment is done with Adair County, I can't turn off that switch. I have to deal with this for the rest of my life, a year from now, 20 years from now. Those aren't going to just go away."